Dear CSSW Community,

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month. The theme for this year’s commemoration is “Look Around, Look Within,” which is a call to action to reflect on how myriad micro- and macro-level influences, including our environment, directly impact our mental health—something that social workers are trained to understand. As social workers, you have a profound understanding of the many layers, and barriers, to accessing and affording mental health services in the U.S. You are the largest group of mental health providers in our nation, and have made it your calling to both support individuals to thrive, while also keeping front-and-center the systemic inequities that reduce well-being.

It is a human right to have access to housing, clean air and water, nutritious food, a safe neighborhood environment, and a host of other social factors that contribute to our well-being. As social workers continue to advocate for and organize around these principles, we are sincerely grateful for our CSSW community and our ability to care for and constantly uplift one another in this work.

While the outside world refuses to slow its pace, we must prioritize as much respite as we can. Let us continue to spread compassion and care for ourselves, our loved ones, and our fellow human beings.

In community,

Melissa Begg

Dean & Professor

Karma Lowe

Senior Associate Dean for DEI, Enrollment & Community Engagement